Trump is Making It Easier to Fire Over 50,000 Federal Staff With Plans to Strip Job Protections

Donald Trump's administration has rolled out a major new rule that could make it far easier to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, in a move critics say threatens the independence of the US civil service.

As first reported by WSJ, the proposal, dubbed 'Schedule Policy/Career', would reclassify around 50,000 federal employees into a category with weaker job protections.

The change would apply to staff in roles considered critical to policymaking, allowing agencies to remove workers for poor performance, misconduct, or behaviour that blocks presidential directives.

While framed as a tool to increase accountability, critics warn it opens the door to politically motivated dismissals and could undermine the independence of a professional federal workforce that has operated under merit-based protections for over a century.

Trump Revives Schedule Policy/Career

The new rule revives ideas from Trump's first-year executive order in 2020, which created Schedule F, a similar category for federal policy employees. That earlier order was quickly reversed by President Joe Biden, who reinstated protections for career civil servants in 2024.

The administration insists the new Schedule Policy/Career classification addresses difficulties supervisors face when attempting to remove underperforming or insubordinate employees.

A statement accompanying the rule explained that agency supervisors 'report great difficulty removing employees for poor performance or misconduct'. The new category, it said, 'will allow agencies to quickly remove employees from critical positions who engage in misconduct, perform poorly, or obstruct the democratic process by intentionally subverting Presidential directives'.

Critics Warn of Politicisation and Fear

Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy organisation representing more than 30 unions and civil service groups, has promised immediate legal challenges.

Skye Perryman, CEO, described the measure as stripping employees of 'earned protections' and opening 'the door to politically motivated firings and hirings'. She warned that dismissals under the rule have already occurred since Trump's return to office, raising concerns about the impartiality of federal operations.

Union leaders argue the consequences could ripple across everyday government functions.

Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal workers union, said career civil servants must be able to act without fear.

'A professional civil service means nurses and doctors can advocate for patient safety, inspectors can report violations, cybersecurity experts can warn about threats, and benefits specialists can tell the truth about what it takes to deliver services—without worrying they'll be punished for it', he explained.

John Hatton, policy lead at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, also emphasised the wider impact: the rule could affect who is prosecuted, who receives federal grants or relief funds, and even who is granted tariff exemptions.

'A nonpartisan, professional civil service tries to adhere to more objective criteria for making decisions'.

The Stakes for Federal Governance

The United States has maintained a professional federal civil service since the late 1800s, when Congress replaced the so-called 'spoils system' with merit-based hiring.

This system was designed to ensure that public servants could implement laws and policies without political interference. Experts now warn that Schedule Policy/Career risks eroding that neutrality, creating a class of staff whose continued employment depends on political loyalty rather than competence.

By allowing agencies to bypass long-standing civil service rules, the administration could reshape the balance of power between elected officials and career bureaucrats.

While proponents argue it makes government more responsive, opponents insist it jeopardises public trust and could compromise the quality of services Americans rely on every day, from healthcare and emergency response to regulatory enforcement.

Unions and Advocacy Groups Prepare Lawsuit

Already, unions and advocacy groups are preparing lawsuits to challenge the rule, echoing litigation over Trump's earlier Schedule F order.

The outcome could set a precedent for how far any administration can go in politicising the federal workforce.

Meanwhile, thousands of employees in affected positions face uncertainty over their job security, and some may alter their professional conduct in response, avoiding honest reporting or scrutiny for fear of reprisal.

Whether the courts will uphold the Trump administration's approach remains to be seen. What cannot be ignored, however, is the potential for this rule to fundamentally shift how the federal government functions, moving it closer to political control and away from decades of institutional neutrality.